July 29, 2011 4:41 p.m. | The Franklin baseball team went back-to-back in WIAA summer baseball state championships, defeating West Bend West on Friday afternoon in Stevens Point to cap the achievement, 5-4.

The Sabers, who have qualified for state four times in the last five years, won the crown for the second time in school history. The final was a rematch of the 2010 title game, when Franklin defeated the Spartans, 11-4.

The Sabers opened the scoring with two runs in the first, scoring on Ryan Geil's RBI groundout and a two-out single by Jake Penegor, who capped the three-game tournament batting 8 for 10 with three walks. Penegor also doubled and scored in the fifth, helping the Sabers take a 5-2 lead.

Franklin starter Matt Busalacchi hit the corners all day, working six innings and allowing two runs on five hits, retiring his last eight batters. The Spartans scored on a pair of solo homers in the third and fourth, and the Sabers played errorless baseball behind him.

Busalacchi, who only had six innings to work with on the hill because of tourney pitching restrictions, gave way in the seventh to Marcus Schlemm. Franklin also had to go to a relief pitcher in the semifinal, when Marquette came alive for three runs to tie the game. This time, Schlemm allowed a two-run homer but got the final out on a grounder to Jake Penegor.

July 29, 2011 11:52 a.m. | The defending summer baseball state champion Franklin Sabers will get a chance to defend their crown after defeating Marquette on Friday morning in the state semifinals, 6-5.

The extra-inning win was a repeat of the near gut-wrenching circumstances from the state quarterfinal Thursday. Marquette's Nate Siudak hit a three-run homer to tie the game at 5-5 in the seventh after Franklin had recorded two outs with nobody on base to start the inning.

The blast off Ian Malmstadt was eerily similar to what happened one day earlier, when Waukesha West rallied from three runs down in the seventh and tied the game with two outs on a two-run homer by Alex Lawrence.

Franklin won that game against West with seven runs in the eighth, and they didn't need that many this time. Jay Dirienzo led off the bottom of the eighth with a long triple, and after Marquette loaded the bases, Joel Kornhoff singled through the box to give the Sabers another crazy victory.

Jake Penegor reached base five times and went 3 for 3, and Kornhoff reached base three times. The biggest blow in regulation was Collin Bertram's grand slam in the fourth, a pinch-hit blast that put the Sabers ahead, 4-2, after the Hilltoppers struck for single tallies in the second and third.

July 28, 2011 1:49 p.m. | Franklin's late lead disappeared in a heartbeat, so the Sabers went to work on a new one with an explosive eighth inning, as the Sabers baseball team defeated Waukesha West in the WIAA state quarterfinals Thursday, 14-7.

Franklin (24-7) will meet fellow Greater Metro Conference entrant Marquette (22-9) this evening in the semifinals at Bukolt Park in Stevens Point. The winner of that game advances to tomorrow's championship game.

The Sabers held a 7-4 lead in the seventh, and after a successful appeal when a West runner tagged and advanced a base, Franklin still had a 7-5 lead with two outs and nobody on. But Jeff Neuman singled for West, and Alex Lawrence delivered a dramatic two-run homer to tie the game and force extra innings.

But Franklin was undeterred, with nine consecutive batters reaching base in the eighth and seven runs scoring overall. Joel Kornhoff, who had just nine hits all season, finished the day with three hits -- including a grand slam in the big frame.

That game had everything -- intereference, clutch home runs, errors, lack of pitching," said Franklin coach Jim Hughes, celebrating a birthday Thursday. "Boy we can play a lot better than that. It was not as good a defensive game as we could have had. We even had coaches forgetting how many outs there were -- that one's on me."

July 28, 2011 11:24 a.m. | Firearms safety classes for satisfying training requirements to obtain a Concealed Carry Permit will be held starting in August at the James Ryan Municipal Building, 5635 S. New Berlin Rd., Hales Corners.

The six - hour course will be taught by police officers who are firearms instructors. It covers safety awareness, proper firearm care, secure storage, legal aspects of carrying a firearm and basic marksmanship. Each participant will pay a nominal fee of $100.

Any member of the public is welcome to attend with the exception of those not yet 21, those who have been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor domestic violence offenses or those prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law. Also ineligible for the course are those who have been charged with a misdemeanor or felony and the court has prohibited them from possessing a dangerous weapon as a condition of bail or release.

For more information or to register for a class, contact Sgt. Rick VonDrasek at 414-529-6140.

July 27, 2011 3:28 p.m. | The Whitnall School District will look into selling naming rights for athletic facilities to offset some of the $6.5 million cost to renovate the athletic facilities at Whitnall High School.

The Whitnall School Board on Monday approved forming a committee to explore naming rights. Board member Bernard Shaw said the committee would look to large donors who are buying naming rights for the long term. The committee also will need a dynamic leader to pull off the plan, he said.

July 27, 2011 11:00 a.m. | Sam Ferrito’s survivors have visited the scene of his death numerous times in the past week, always leaving with more questions than answers about the crash that killed him on July 17.

To them, it’s inexplicable that a car heading in the same southbound direction on Nicholson Ave. would cross the center line and hit Ferrito, who was biking along the northbound lane intent on avoiding exactly the kind of collision that killed him.

The point of impact - based on preliminary reports - puts the southbound car well over the center line, nearly to the opposite shoulder, and the information released to the public so far provides no explanation as to why.

View of the crash site, facing south, from the east side of Nicholson Ave. Photo by Tom Held

"Chill on the Hill's Go Green Night will provide opportunities for attendees to learn how to live more sustainably, more than simply separating recyclables out of the trash," said Rob Miller, BVNA's Environmental Chair. "The average citizen probably doesn't know that even old athletic shoes can be recycled as well as aluminum cans or plastic bottles."

Besides collecting art supplies for Project Crayon Box and toiletries for homeless veterans, the BVNA, along with Milwaukee Recycles, will be recycling athletic shoes in spirit of the night's green initiatives.

The Franklin and Oak Creek baseball teams will meet for the third time on Saturday, and this time, the stakes are particularly high.

The Sabers and Knights will clash in a WIAA sectional championship game at South Milwaukee at 10:30 a.m., vying for a berth in next week's state tournament at Stevens Point.

They split two Greater Metro Conference games during the season and finished one-two in the regular-season standings. Franklin then claimed second place and Oak Creek third in the conference tournament.

The Sabers (25-7) advanced with an 11-2 victory over Greenfield on Friday evening.

That’s what Oak Creek pitcher Chris Bournelis said is his team's motto.

If the Knights continue to get performances like the one the senior and his teammates put forth Friday afternoon, busting will be pretty tricky to do.

Bournelis pitched a complete game and struck out nine in a hard-fought, 5-1 win over host South Milwaukee in Friday afternoon WIAA sectional.

“For Chris to go out today and throw seven was huge, especially in this heat,” Oak Creek head coach Scott Holler said. “He really battled, really kept the ball down. I think he threw 100 pitches, and only 30 were balls.

“That’s about as efficient as you can be.”

Added Bournelis: “My fastball was faster than normal I guess. (Catcher) Josh (Jesko) calls a good game, I was just hitting his glove.”

The senior hurler didn’t have to be too fine with his pitches, as his offense gave him a nice cushion to work with early on, methodically working in runs in the second, third and fourth innings to quickly build a 5-0 lead.

In those three innings, the Knights only had one extra-base hit, but still managed to find away around the bases against a variety of pitchers for the Rockets.

“We’re not a juggernaut on offense by any means,” Holler said. “We have to play a little small ball.

“We’ve asked all guys, 1-9, to bunt at some point in the season. That’s kind of the way it’s been going lately. We’re getting about five or six (runs) a game, and usually that’s been about enough.”

As the game, and the heat, wore on, it looked as though the South Milwaukee offense was finally wearing down the Oak Creek ace.

Junior Alex Cramer led off with a single and quickly stole second base to start the sixth inning. Classmate Chris Krakau promptly knocked Cramer in on a one-out single to finally put the Rockets on the board.

In the seventh, senior Chad Sadowski led off with a single before Jake Zdrojewski was hit by a pitch to give South Milwaukee two on with no out, but Bournelis fanned the final batter in the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh.

“Against any team, when you’re playing in the sectionals you have to hit good pitching; that’s the bottom line,” South Milwaukee head coach John Galewski said. “You have to come up with two-out hits and today we did struggle with that.”

The Knights advance to play the winner of Franklin/Greenfield on Saturday morning

July 22, 2011 4:02 p.m. | To help residents deal with the oppressive heat, the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee (the Y), is opening select pools to the community Friday, July 22 through Sunday, July 24.

This weekend's open swim hours are free and no Y membership is required to take advantage of this special opportunity for community members to stop in for a healthy break from the high temperatures.

All community participants (non-members) will need to sign in upon arrival and show photo identification. Children younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to participate in open swimming.

Some restrictions may apply.

For more information on open swim hours and locations, visit the Latest News section on ymcamke.org.

July 22, 2011 3:40 p.m. | Rather than spending millions of dollars beginning in 2015 to pay for a proposed sewer serving rural southwest Franklin, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District should invest the funds in flood control efforts throughout the metropolitan area, Milwaukee County Supervisor John Weishan Jr. said Friday.

Weishan, of West Allis, has introduced a County Board resolution opposing both the sewer plan and Franklin's use of eminent domain to acquire land for the sewer project from any owners unwilling to sell their property. The resolution will be discussed Monday at a meeting of the County Board's Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Franklin is seeking $31 million in low-interest Clean Water Fund loans from the state Department of Natural Resources so it can build a large regional sewer across the southwest side of the city. Mayor Tom Taylor's goal is to begin operating the sewer by 2014 so the city can attract new development, particularly commercial businesses and manufacturers, to the area.

MMSD would begin buying the sewer from Franklin in 2015, under terms of an intergovernmental cooperation agreement. The district would take ownership in 2031, after paying an estimated $41.1 million in principal and interest.

Taylor said Friday that new development is needed to reduce the property tax burden on the city's homeowners.

July 20, 2011 5:52 p.m. | The operator of a motorcycle who was killed when the bike slammed into a car in Bay View was identified by the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office Wednesday as Reynold Allen Pamaska.

Pamaska was killed Saturday when the 2004 Suzuki GSXR he was riding slammed into a car at S. Kinnickinnic and E. Clement avenues, according to a medical examiner's report.

Police witnessed Pamaska, 29, heading south on Kinnickinnic Ave. at more than 100 mph shortly after 10 p.m., the report said.

Two other officers in a northbound squad who also saw the cycle heading south turned around and began following it. The squad then pulled behind the cycle after Pamaska stopped in the 2600 block of S. Kinnickinnic.

Pamaska then looked over his shoulder and saw the squad before taking off at a high rate of speed, the report said. The officers followed and activated the squad's emergency lights but shut them off when they saw the cycle veering into northbound traffic.

July 20, 2011 1:58 p.m. | The Greendale Board of Health is looking for health professionals to serve on the board beginning in September.

Village bylaws say the Board of Health is composed of seven members, including five citizen members. A good faith effort is made to include nurses, physicians, dentists and mental health professionals with a special emphasis on finding a candidate with public health experience.

Meetings are held at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month in the village.

The annual Fill-the-Boot campaign supports Muscular Dystrophy Association, funding services for children and young adults such as support groups, clinic visits, summer camp, and wheelchair purchases and repairs.

July 20, 2011 1:52 p.m. | Forest Park Middle School teacher Mary Fassbender is one of five Wisconsin educators being considered for Presidential Teaching Awards, the nation's highest honor for mathematics and science teachers.

Fassbender teaches seventh and eighth grade.

"These teachers have been singled out by their peers, parents and former students, or school administrators as exceptional educators," State Superintendent Tony Evers said in a press release. "They represent the dedication of the many individuals who work with our students in Wisconsin classrooms throughout the school year. I congratulate them."

Following their nomination, each director completed application materials addressing how they met criteria, including mastery of content knowledge, use of instructional methods and strategies, effective use of assessment, reflective practice and lifelong learning and leadership in education outside the classroom.

A committee organized by the National Science Foundation may select one teacher of mathematics and one of science to receive presidential awards from each state and four U.S. jurisdictions. Winners receive $10,000 and a certificate signed by the president.

July 20, 2011 11:02 a.m. | Dunham's Sports will open a new Franklin store, in a long-vacant former supermarket building, by November, according to the building's leasing agent.

Dunham's is leasing 39,000 square feet at the former Jewel-Osco, 6543 S. 27th St., which has been vacant for over four years, said John Kuhn, of Siegel-Gallagher Inc.

Also, a fitness center has agreed to lease the remaining space of just under 24,000 square feet, Kuhn said. He declined to name the center, but the Franklin Plan Commission on Thursday is reviewing plans for a proposed Planet Fitness at that location.

The fitness center also plans to open by November, Kuhn said.

The building is owned by Bry-Franklin LLC, a Chicago investors group, which bought it last August.

July 15, 2011 3:11 p.m. | What should have been a happy day - welcoming a new dog to the family - quickly turned into a sad, franctic one for a Greendale couple this week.

The Borrellis hardly had time to celebrate the arrival of their new dog on Tuesday before it scampered off from their home at 5600 Churchway, heading to parts unknown.

Teddie, a 4-year-old Yorkie, ran away from their yard less than a half-hour after his arrival. Teresa Borrelli, in an e-mail, said the skittish puppy mill refugee, adopted from an Illinois rescue shelter, was apparently spooked by birdbath when he ran off.

Teresa and her husband, Andrews, spent the rest of the day and the following morning looking for him, to no avail. While the dog has a microchip implanted to help shelters identify him and his home, the Borrellis are also helping others can help.

Teddie has reddish hair on his head and legs; black, gray and white hair on his back; and weighs about 10 pounds. He has a black collar with rhinestones and may still be dragging a blue leash. Anyone who spots a dog matching his description can contact Andrew or Teresa at (414) 218-8196 or email them at aborrelli@wi.rr.com.

Still struggling to regain the mojo that won it 18 straight games and the Greater Metro Conference regular season title, the Oak Creek baseball team was looking for a win anyway it could get it in the third-place tilt of the league tourney with Muskego Wednesday night.

So when pinch-hitter Tanner Johnson surprisingly walked on four pitches to drive in teammate Casey Magyar with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning, coach Scott Holler was not about to be ungrateful over that unexpected boon.

"We lost to (Menomonee) Falls last week and we lost to Marquette (4-3 in the semifinal) last night," said Holler, "and we act like the world is caving in on us. I had to remind them that we're 25-4. Sometimes the kids just need to be reminded that the game doesn't give you anything."

July 13, 2011 2:24 p.m. | Franklin police want to find out more about a man who suspiciously approached two children on Monday in the city, possibly using a dog as a lure.

In a press release issued today, police say they are investigating a report that a man - described as white, 50 to 60 years old, with gray balding hair - driving a white midsized vehicle stopped at an intersection of West Imperial Drive and 83rd Street, where the children were standing at about 7:30 p.m.

On the front seat of his vehicle sat a dog, possibly a yellow Labrador. The man asked the children "Do you want to pet my dog?", according to the police report. When the children declined, the man drove off.

Police are asking anyone with information, or reports of similar incidents, to call the Franklin Police Department at (414) 425-2522.

Police are also reminding parents about the value of monitoring the outdoor activities as a precautionary measure at all times.

July 10, 2011 11:20 p.m. | More than 20 runners were taken to the hospital and about 50 received emergency medical attention for heat-related problems during Summerfest's inaugural Rock 'n Sole event Sunday.

The half-marathon and 10K race turned into a full-fledged emergency when early hydration stations ran out of water and cups. Runners started collapsing in the humid 85-degree heat, and some were unable to get immediate help because of a lack of medical aid stations. No medical aid was available on the 2.5-mile-long Hoan Bridge.

Organizers ended the race around 10:30 a.m. because of dangerous conditions, although many runners had crossed the finish line by then.

July 07, 2011 9:55 p.m. | The gloom of darkness was starting to fall after the three-hour and 11-minute struggle, but Menomonee Falls baseball coach Pat Hansen could still clearly see the meaning of his team's hard-earned, 8-5, 10-inning win over Greater Metro Conference regular season champ Oak Creek Thursday night.

"We keep talking about it, that we're good enough to beat anyone out there," said Hansen, "but we fell short twice to Franklin and lost a tough one to New Berlin Eisenhower which is having a good season, so it's nice to say we can beat anyone we play, but it's much better that we actually do it."

The win improved Falls to 13-6 in the GMC and 17-8 overall while Oak Creek, which clinched the GMC regular season title earlier in the week when Franklin lost to Marquette, finished up the league campaign at 17-3 and 23-3 overall. The loss broke an 18-game winning streak for the Knights.

The Knights will be the top seed in the GMC Tournament that will be played Monday through Wednesday. Oak Creek coach Scott Holler was pleased with how his team battled back from an early 4-1 deficit but notes that the team will have to be sharper come tournament time.

"I was happy with the way we hit the ball," he said. "We hit some shots that were right at some people, but sometimes that's the way it goes. It was just a good ball game. We've been having some trouble lately stringing together hits and we're still trying to figure out the right mix in certain situations."

July 06, 2011 9:34 a.m. | A man was apparently beaten and in critical, but stable condition Wednesday after he was found at a home in Cudahy, police said.

Cudahy officers were called to a home in the 5700 block of S. Packard Ave. and found a 26-year-old man who was not responding and was in "visible distress," according to a police department news release. The man was flown to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa with possible life-threatening injuries, police said.

July 05, 2011 10:20 p.m. | I-94 near W. College Ave. was closed for about five hours Tuesday after a downed utility pole sent wires across the freeway, according to the Milwaukee County sheriff's office.

Deputies closed the freeway in both directions from about 1:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Barry McNulty, a We Energies spokesman, said a dump truck clipped a cable television line in the area, bringing down a utility pole. It also brought down electrical wires attached to the pole.

About 1,000 We Energies customers lost electrical power because of the accident, but service was restored for most of the customers by the time the freeway was reopened, McNulty said.

Repairs were delayed because the work crews had trouble getting through the traffic congestion created by the accident, McNulty said.